He will rejoice over you.

That is one beautiful sunrise. (And sadly for you, my photography skills are truly underwhelming.)
I led a teen breakout group at a retreat hosted by the singing group BELOVED this weekend. Though it was really fun and the Lord totally showed up, it was not without it’s challenges. Spiritually. Personally. Emotionally. Technologically (I can’t even go there- I almost threw a projector into Lake Lanier).

I left the retreat far more mentally exhausted than I have been in a long long time.

So that leaves my blog voice a little hoarse. And tired. [This is how exhausted I was yesterday- I didn’t want to CHECK MY EMAIL. That, my friends, is unheard of in Annie-town.]

As I was leaving the retreat early Sunday morning, I drove over the bridge that spans a portion of Lake Lanier and I looked to my left to see this breathtaking sunrise. The weather has been refreshingly mild, so I was able to roll my window down, put the ole Camry in park, and just watch for a minute.

After such a beautiful/challenging/draining/fulfilling weekend, where I literally fought for the girls’ attention and spiritually fought for their hearts, I sensed the Lord in that moment. And though this sounds crazy, I think He said “Thank you”.

And I think He said it with a sunrise.

So I said, out loud, “You’re welcome. Any time.”

He doesn’t need me. He can accomplish His purposes without me. To be honest, it would probably be simpler and better done if He didn’t factor me in. But for some reason, He does. He longs to make us a part of His grand story, even though by doing that, He adds sin into the equation. And insecurity. And flaws galore. And stupid jokes that He would not tell because He knows the limits of His humor, unlike some unnamed blogistas [me].

His humor has no limits, by the way. Have you SEEN a giraffe? That’s funny.

The focus, for the teen girls, was understanding God’s heart for them. And I challenged them to ask God to love them out loud and reveal His heart, as it says in Zephaniah 3:17. It always seems that when I accept the challenges I issue to others, He answers.

I think that sunrise was His answer. He took time to rejoice over a flawed and easily exhausted girl who has nothing much to offer. But I offer that nothing much to Him.

And He painted the sky to remind me that nothing much is exactly what He wants.

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